Fastener assembly with retaining fingers for use with a power actuated gun

ABSTRACT

A fastener assembly for use with a power actuated gun including a bracket and associated stud wherein the bracket is formed with at least two fingers extending upward therefrom. The fingers are formed so as to permit the fastener assembly to be frictionally held within the bore of the power actuated gun. The support for the studs and fingers are configured to readily collapse when the stud is driven into a support structure, causing the head end portion of the stud to be made flush against the bracket and causing the fingers to occupy the space from whence they were formed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to mechanical fasteners, andmore specifically to an improved power driven fastener.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many fasteners designed to be driven by a power actuated gun.These fasteners are used in the construction trades and buildingindustries for supporting and holding pipes, cables, and various otherdevices. Typically, these fasteners must be driven into stone, brick, ormasonry walls. For this reason, power actuated guns have been developedfor forcing the fastener into the wall.

One such fastener is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,637 issuing onJul. 1, 1969 to O'Brien and entitled "Fastener and Attachment Therefor".Therein disclosed is a fastener assembly having a tubular body portionwith a flange. A plurality of fingers extend outwardly toward thepointed end of a fastener. The fingers frictionally retain the fastenerwithin the muzzle portion of a tool. Another fastener assembly isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,883 issued on Nov. 3, 1987 to Losadaand entitled "Fastener Assembly". Therein disclosed is a fastenerassembly for use with a power actuated fastener gun having a plateforming a depression that is disposed out of the plane of the bearingportion of the fastener. A stud having a pointed end is frictionallyretained in the plate so that the pointed end of the stud does notextend below the bearing surface of the plate.

While these and other fasteners have proven useful in many applications,they are not without their inconveniences. While the fastener disclosedin O'Brien can be held within the bore of an actuating tool, there is nobracket or plate from which other devices can be attached. Additionally,the tubular body portion including the downwardly pointed fingers, tendsto cause the head of the fastener to protrude from the work surface. Thefastener assembly disclosed in O'Brien is also relatively complex anddifficult to make inexpensively. Typically, due to the number offastener assemblies manufactured, any small improvement in designresulting in a small savings in manufacturing costs is extremelybeneficial. The fastener assembly disclosed in Losada, while improvingthe cooperation with the power actuated fastener gun, and facilitatinginexpensive manufacture, cannot be easily frictionally retained withinthe barrel portion of the power actuated gun.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved fastener that can be easilyheld within a power actuated gun that forms a part of a holding devicethat does not cause the head of the fastener to protrude from the worksurface. There is also the need for improving, however slight, the easein which fastener assemblies are manufactured.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a fastener assembly having a bracket orplate providing a large bearing surface and a means to attach otherdevices. At least two fingers are formed by a portion of the bracket orplate. The fingers are positioned to provide a friction fit in thebarrel of a power actuated gun. The distal end of the fingers arepointed upward toward the head of the stud fastener. This causes thefingers to spread when the head of the stud is driven downward by thepower actuated gun. This permits the head of the stud to lay flatter.Therefore, the head does not protrude unnecessarily from the workpiece.The fingers, being formed from the bracket or plate, facilitatemanufacture.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide afastener assembly that can be frictionally held in the bore of a poweractuated gun.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a structurethat permits the head of a fastener or a stud to lay as flat as possibleafter being driven in the work surface.

It is an advantage of the present invention that the fastener is easy tomanufacture, and therefore, less expensive.

It is a further advantage of the present invention that the fingers areforced away from the shank by the fastener head when the fastener isdriven into a wall.

It is a feature of the present invention that the fingers formed by aportion of the bracket or plate point up toward the head of thefastener.

It is another feature of the present invention that the fingers areformed from a portion of the bracket or plate.

These and other objects, advantages, and features will become readilyapparent in view of the following more detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross section taken along line 2--2 in FIG. 1 with the boreof a power actuated gun included.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a cross section taken along line 4--4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6A is a cross section along line 6A--6A in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7A is a cross section along line 7A--7A in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention. The presentinvention is an assembly comprised of a bracket or plate 10 and a studor fastener 12. The bracket or plate 10 has an aperture 14 therein. Theshank 16 of stud 12 has a diameter of a size to provide a friction fitwith aperture 14. Thereby, the stud 12 is held in position perpendicularto bracket or plate 10. Bracket 10 is provided with a hole 22 therein sothat bracket 10 can be used as a means for fastening another device, asis common in the construction industry. On bracket 10 are formed supportsides 30. The support sides 30 are formed from the bracket plate 10 andhelp support the shank 16 of stud 12. Aperture 14 is formed by thesupport sides 30, through which the shank 16 of stud 12 is frictionallyplaced. Thereby, after assembly, the bracket 10 and the stud 12 are heldtogether.

FIG. 2 more clearly illustrates this embodiment of the presentinvention. The cross section of a bore of a power actuated gun 26 hasbeen added to more clearly illustrate the operation of the presentinvention. From the bracket 10 are formed support sides 30 and fingers20. The pointed end portion 24 of the stud 12, illustrated in FIG. 2, isplaced through aperture 14. A friction fit is provided, securely holdingthe shank 16 onto bracket 10. The bore 26 of a power actuated gun isplaced around fingers 20. The fingers 20 help retain the bracket 10 andstud 12 within the power actuated gun so that the fastener can bepositioned easily prior to being fastened by the power actuated gun. Asthe stud 12 is driven down, the head end portion 18, illustrated in FIG.1, will force the support sides 30 filling in gap 31, providing a tightfit with shank 16. The upwardly extending fingers 20 will be forcedoutward by the head end portion 18, illustrated in FIG. 1. Therefore,the head end portion 18 will rest flatter adjacent bracket 10 afterbeing driven by the power actuated gun. The fingers 20 thus function asa means for retaining the bracket assembly within the bore of the powergun by frictional resistance between the fingers 20 and the gun bore 26.Thus, even when the gun bore is pointed in a downward position, thebracket assembly can be positively retained to the gun bore.

FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.3, shank 16 of the stud 12 is positioned through aperture 14 of bracket11 and frictionally held into position thereon. Formed within circularbracket 11 are fingers 21. Fingers 21 are formed or blanked out of thesurface of circular bracket 11. This can conveniently be done by asimple and economical stamping operation. Openings 28 remain after thefingers 21 are formed. It can easily be seen from FIG. 4 that the boreof a power actuated gun, not illustrated, is positioned around thefingers 21 similarly to the fingers illustrated in FIG. 2. Thereby, thefastener assembly illustrated in FIG. 4 is frictionally held in placewithin the bore of an actuated gun, not illustrated, prior to beingdriven, even if the bore of the gun is pointed in a downward position.With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, it can readily be appreciated that uponstud 12 being driven, the head end portion 18 will be forced downwardinto contact with the upwardly extending fingers 21. Because the fingers21 extend upward when the head end portion 18 is driven down, thefingers 21 will be driven outward away from the shank 16. This resultsin the head end portion 18 resting against the surface of the bracket 13without unnecessarily protruding from bracket 11 after being driven, andcausing the fingers 21 into the area of the opening 28.

FIG. 5 illustrates a third embodiment of the present invention. Formedwithin bracket 13 is a support cone 32. Support cone 32 is similar tothe support sides 30 illustrated in FIG. 1 with the exception that thefingers 20 are not formed therein. Instead, fingers 21 are formed fromthe planer surface of bracket 13. Therefore, the support cone 32 havinga space similar to gap 31 illustrated in FIG. 2, will be filled in whenthe stud 12 is driven downward. Similar to the embodiment illustratingFIG. 3, the fingers 21 of FIG. 5 will be forced outward by head endportion 18 and into openings 28 resulting in the head end portion 18having a better contact with bracket 13, as well as not unnecessarilyprotruding therefrom.

FIG. 6 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the present invention formedfrom a non-planer bracket 34. The non-planer bracket 34 has angled legs36 which permit the point of stud 16 to be positioned above the worksurface in which the stud 12 is to be driven. As illustrated in FIG. 6A,the non-planer bracket 34 and angled legs 36 form in longitudinal crosssection one-half of a polygon.

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.7, a non-planer bracket 134 is shown. Non-planer bracket 134 has roundedlegs 136. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 7A, in longitudinal crosssection, bracket 134 has the shape of a semicircle or oval. Resultingly,in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, the invention has a smooth,continuous curve, in contrast to the more linear and angular embodimentillustrated in FIG. 6.

As shown, the brackets 10, 11, 13, 34 and 134 provide support for a stud12. Blanked out of a portion of the brackets 10, 11, 13, 34 and 134 arefingers 20, 20 that are laterally spread to allow the bracket assemblyto be frictionally retained within the bore of a power gun 26 in FIG. 2.In other respects, the brackets 10, 11, 13, 34 and 134 are constructedas described in my prior issued patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,923 grantedApr. 12, 1988, which is herein incorporated by reference.

With reference to FIGS. 1-7A, it should now be readily appreciated thatthe present invention provides an improved fastener assembly thatpermits easy manufacture and ease of operation that, when driven,results in a head that does not unnecessarily protrude from the bracket.The fingers blanked out of the plane of the bracket also serve tofrictionally retain the assembly within the bore of the gun.

While several embodiments have been illustrated and described, it shouldbe clear that the various features can be combined and mixed withdifferent brackets providing the benefits of the present invention.Therefore, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthis invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An improved fastener assembly of a type which isdriven into a support structure by a power actuated gun comprising:abracket plate, said bracket plate having an aperture formed therein; atleast two fingers formed within said bracket plate adjacent saidaperture spaced to frictionally fit within a bore of the power actuatedgun; a stud having a head end portion, a shank portion, and a pointedend portion, said stud having a shank diameter sized so as to befrictionally retained in said aperture; and said stud having a head endportion having a diameter sized so as to fit within the bore of thepower actuated gun; whereby the fastener is held within the bore of thepower actuated gun by the frictional engagement of said fingers with thebore of a gun.
 2. An improved fastener assembly as in claim 1, furthercomprising:means for fastening another device from a part of saidbracket.
 3. An improved fastener assembly as in claim 1, wherein:said atleast two fingers point up toward said head end portion.
 4. An improvedfastener assembly of a type which is driven into a support structure bya power actuated gun comprising:a plate, said plate having an apertureformed therein; a stud having a head end portion, a shank portion, and apointed end portion, said shank having a diameter sized to befrictionally fit within said aperture, said head having a diameter sizedto fit within a bore of the power actuated gun, said pointed end portionextending into said aperture; and at least two fingers formed from saidplate adjacent said aperture and spaced apart a distance to frictionallyfit within the bore of the power actuated gun, said at least two fingerseach having a proximal end formed adjacent said stud and a distal endformed away from said stud, the distal end extending up towards saidhead end portion; whereby when said stud is driven by the power actuatedgun, said fingers are permitted to spread apart away from said studthereby permitting the head end portion to maintain better contact withsaid plate.
 5. An improved fastener assembly of a type which is driveninto a support structure by a power actuated gun comprising:a bracket;support sides extending from said bracket in a cone shape, said supportsides having an aperture therein; a stud having a head end portion, ashank, and a pointed end portion, said shank having a diameter tofrictionally fit within said aperture, said support sides and said shankforming a gap extending from said aperture and widening to the surfaceof said bracket when said pointed end portion is placed in saidaperture, and a pair of opposed fingers blanked out of said supportsides; said fingers having the distal ends thereof extending up towardthe smaller open end of said support sides, whereby said at least twofingers are laterally spread away from said shank to frictionally retainsaid fastener assembly in the bore of a gun.
 6. An improved fastenerassembly of a type which is driven into a support structure by a poweractuated gun as in claim 5 wherein:said bracket is non-planer.
 7. Animproved fastener assembly of a type which is driven into a supportstructure by a power actuated gun as in claim 6 wherein:a portion ofsaid bracket has a longitudinal cross section that is substantiallyone-half of a polygon.
 8. An improved fastener assembly of a type whichis driven into a support structure by a power actuated gun as in claim 6wherein:a portion of said bracket has a longitudinal cross section thatis substantially continuously curved.
 9. An improved fastener assemblyof a type which is driven into a support structure by a power actuatedgun comprising:a bracket; support sides extending from said bracket in acone shape, said support sides having an aperture therein; a stud havinga head end portion, a shank, and a pointed end portion, said shankhaving a diameter to frictionally fit within said aperture, said supportsides and said shank forming a gap extending from said aperture andwidening to the surface of said bracket when said pointed end portion isplaced in said aperture, and a pair of opposed fingers blanked out ofsaid bracket, said fingers having the distal ends thereof extending uptoward the smaller open end of said support sides, whereby said at leasttwo fingers are laterally spread away from said shank to frictionallyretain said fastener assembly in the bore of a gun.
 10. An improvedfastener assembly of a type which is driven into a support structure bya power actuated gun as in claim 9 wherein:a portion of said bracket hasa longitudinal cross section that is substantially one-half of apolygon.
 11. An improved fastener assembly of a type which is driveninto a support structure by a power actuated gun as in claim 9 wherein:aportion of said bracket has a longitudinal cross section that issubstantially continuously curved.